Alan Fong
The Beguiling Serpent
Today’s Verse:
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. ~Genesis 3:13
Donna Kalil recently made the news as the only female python hunter employed by the South Florida Water Management District. She is an expert snake hunter who understands how invasive pythons are to the Florida Everglades. She understands the nature of snakes and how not to be fatally bitten or crushed. Unfortunately, one woman in the Bible did not do so well with her first encounter with a serpent. This morning, we are considering how the serpent beguiled Eve.
We see the Satanic metaphors.
Satan is pictured through different illustrative images to give us an intelligent understanding of his dangerous tactics. He is pictured as an angel of light. He uses false teachers with persuasive speaking abilities to sway men into wrong beliefs. He is pictured as a roaring lion that walks about, announcing to the prey around him that he is hungry. He is first introduced to us in the Bible as a serpent. Serpents slither on their undersides or bellies and cannot be heard. Their colors allow them to blend into the environmental landscape and not be noticed or seen. Their tongue is highly sensitive to the air, food sources, and endangerment. They are quiet, stealthy, and dangerous.
We see the seductive means.
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ,” 2 Cor. 11:3. Satan comes in disguise as a serpent to deceive and trick his victims. His means of attack is to catch us when we are unaware that he is present. He blends in with the situation we are in. He beguiled, or seduced, Eve by appealing to her through the eye-gate and ear-gate. She saw, and then coveted. He entices us through our fleshly senses so that an urge for something forbidden becomes a strong craving. Through this beguiling, our mind and conscience are corrupted. We go from realizing something is wrong to justifying in our minds that it is not an endangerment or a sin. The beguiling process makes something that is wrong and sinful appear harmless and for our good. He beguiles victims into accepting false doctrine and teachings by appealing to our intellectual pride. The beguiling process is always done through lies and half-truths.
We see the sorrowful misfortune.
Eve bought into the serpent’s lies. He appealed to her senses that she would be a “god.” He instilled dissatisfaction with who she was, and duped her into believing that God was holding out on her. She took one bite of the forbidden fruit, and sin entered into the world. The moment she and Adam sinned, they brought the curse of sorrow, mortality, and death into the world. Sin is when we cross a forbidden line, and come short of God’s holiness. All sin must be punished by God. Satan has one goal: our destruction and failure.
We see the strategic measure.
First, we must be sober and vigilant at all times. Be always on the lookout. Be aware of your surroundings, and that a beguiling serpent is possibly within striking distance. Second, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. When he starts talking to you, don’t talk back to him. Tell the devil, “Get thee behind me.” Third, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world,” 1 John 4:1. New translations of the Bible, new twists on Bible doctrine, and new trends in Christianity should prompt you to search the matter out. In all cases, they are manipulations of the devil seeking to take advantage of you. Don’t be a victim of the beguiling serpent! Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand the wiles of the devil.
Have a vigilant God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Ecclesiastes 9-12
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